Rare Beatles letter surfaces, up for auction in the UK

A rare letter from the Beatles to an Atlanta DJ is up for auction in the U.K. this weekend.

The letter, which bears the letterhead ‘NEMS Enterprises’ – the management company set up by Beatles manager Brian Epstein, was sent to DJ Paul Drew of WQXI Radio.

Written on Sept. 6 1965, the typed letter thanks Drew for his help during their 1965 tour of the U.S. The letter is signed by all four Beatles in matching black ballpoint pen.

Auction house Henry Aldridge & Son notes that the letter was written just six days after the end of the Beatles’ 1965 U.S. tour and only six days before they started recording sessions for the album “Rubber Soul.”

Th e letter signed by the Beatles that was sent to Atlanta DJ Paul Drew (Henry Aldridge & Son)

The Beatles write: “Dear Paul, we just thought that we would like to write to you all and say thanks very much for your help on the tour. We enjoyed it and appreciated your patience and co-operation. Hope to see you next year.”

Drew accompanied the Beatles on their chartered plane during their1964 and 1965 U.S. tours, according to Henry Aldridge & Son. He also interviewed the band on a number of occasions and introduced them at a concert at Atlanta Stadium on Aug. 18. 1965.

The lot also includes a letter from Beatles press officer Tony Barrow to Drew, dated Aug. 5, 1965, which accompanied details for the fab four’s forthcoming U.S. tour.

Drew, who died in 2013 at the age of 78, had a hugely successful career in radio, becoming vice president of programming at RKO in the 1970s. Billboard described the DJ as “one of the major architects” of Top 40 radio.

The DJ also interviewed the former Beatles many times during their solo careers, according to Henry Aldridge & Son.

NEMS Enterprises took its name from the Epstein family’s North End Music Stores business in Liverpool.

The Beatles letter, which has a pre-sale estimate of £8,000 to £12,000 ($11,187 to $16,781) will be auctioned Saturday by Henry Aldridge & Son.